When looking at houses with clients, I often point out that a living space can essentially be extended at relatively low cost by plunking an 8×10 studio in the backyard — not to mention the bigger investment of an ADU. So when the 2026 Bay Area ADU Expo in San Jose popped up in my inbox,…
When it comes to real estate investing, the old adage “location, location, location” couldn’t be more true, especially in higher-priced East Bay real estate markets such as Berkeley and Alameda. The BRRRR strategy, which stands for Buy, Rehab, Rent, Refinance, and Repeat, is a formulaic real estate investing approach that has helped many hard-working, risk-taking…
First, know that buyers don’t hire me to show them what they can find on Zillow. I’ve helped many buyers who chose to “request a tour” through Zillow. Being a Zillow agent was a really cool way to meet people who were not familiar with an area or who decided to start exploring by visiting…
Let’s talk about that house. You know the one. Maybe it showed up in your search or on “Zillow Gone Wild” or it’s a mysterious house you’ve always been curious about as you passed by. It’s in one of those popular neighborhoods like Rockridge in Oakland that you adore—tree-lined streets, great local coffee shop, neighbors…
The price of gold is at an all time high, more than 10x what it was around 1980 when the price shot up. Before then it had been relatively flat for decades. The price of Bay Area real estate has had a slower trajectory up. As you can see in this Median Home Price Trends…
I know you might be thinking, “Wait, isn’t the number one life goal to find inner peace, get married, achieve true happiness, or become a yoga guru?” And sure, those are all popular goals—but let’s talk about a truly achievable, life-changing goal that can actually fund your path to inner peace: Buy a house. Why…
The Getty Center and Getty Villa emerged from the 2025 Los Angeles fire disaster as examples of fire hardening best practices. Yes, they had staff to supplement all of the measures the Getty team took to stop fire approaching and stop smoke from penetrating the buildings. But they also meticulously followed best practices for fire hardening…
Imagine opening up your home to show off your remodeled kitchen. That’s what 8-10 Rockridge homeowners do every other year along with their builders, architects, and interior designers. Seeing these renovated and reimagined kitchens with the latest cabinetry, space-saving ideas, and glowing cabinet hardware is the ultimate inspiration to refresh your kitchen — especially if…
If you own rental property — whether an entire rental or you are renting part of your house out or some other type of investment property — you may qualify for a tax-deferred 1031 exchange when you sell. As of this moment, investors can usually exchange one investment for up to three investments of “like…
Thinking of a budget remodel to update or fix things about your house that you don’t like? Join the club! There’s nothing like living in a space for a while to figure out what you would like to change in layout or use of the space. That’s why I give my home buying clients a…